in many compliments i can give HBOof Last of Us That’s what ultimately made me forget that it’s based on Video games.
It’s not about video games, it’s about the very different and conflicting nature of gaming versus watching movies and TV. One is interactive, allowing you to bend the story to suit your actions. Another asks you to immerse yourself in a specific story that you have no control over. Translating a concept from one medium to another is not easy, especially when moving the route from games to movies and shows.
Last of Us However, the game has a reputation for being more “cinematic” than its peers, and its cutscenes are just as compelling as the gameplay itself. Twenty years after destroying , Joel, a taciturn, skilled and violent loner, leads 14-year-old Ellie on a perilous cross-country journey. There’s plenty of action as the pair besieged by a variety of threats, both human and non-human, but the game is also filled with rich character settings, poignant drama, and even comedy. Since HBO announced plans, Last of Us series, Gamers points to it as finally removing the stigma associated with game adaptation, and in the process, it could help legitimize the concept of video games as art to non-gamers. .
The series was co-created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, one of the key minds in gaming. Chernobyl The miniseries was one of the best shows of 2019. Written by Druckmann and Mazin and directed by Mazin, the first episode feels like a tug-of-war between two men, or perhaps he between two mediums. There’s a stretch focused solely on Joel (played by Joel) Pedro Pascal from mandalorian) and his teenage daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) show what life was like for Joel and all the other survivors in 2023, in the calmer times before the zombie storm. Then there’s the action sequence that Mazin shoots in his POV style. Suddenly it’s like watching someone else play a game on Twitch or YouTube. For example, there’s a long chase in which Joel, Sarah, and Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) drive out of town as carnage rages around them. Choose which direction they should turn next.
That first episode is competently crafted and has some heartbreaking moments.
, I couldn’t understand why so many of my friends were so excited to see this particular show come to life. The first is that Mazin and the show’s other directors have stopped trying to mimic the visual language of the game. So when violence does occur, it feels like a filmed action sequence, not a level you’re not allowed to play yourself. Even in my youth, I was a button masher at best.
Mortal Kombat II A working arcade game. A second, more significant development was that Druckmann and Mazin quickly delved deeply into these characters and assembled a fine group of actors to play them.
Last of Us The quiet moments are just as engrossing as the frightening ones. And it’s definitely more engrossing when the focus is on who they are rather than the dangers they’re fleeing. In many ways, the show is a triumph of typecasting.Pedro Pascal once again plays an action hero of few words who must lead a cute young charge in hostile territory. game of thrones Even if alum Bella Ramsey and her Ellie are much warmer and funnier than underage House Stark ally Lyanna Mormont, Ramsey, again, grew up too fast for circumstances and was too shy. also plays a girl who has had to participate in a lot of violence…of the broken world around her. But the two are playing roles like we’ve dealt with before, and they get along spectacularly well. Both are compulsively watchable and loved almost instantly. Ramsey carries tons of emotional weight for no effort at all, but brings a lot of lightness to what could be an oppressive harrowing tale. Ellie has lived her whole life in this terrifying reality, but she knows about her life before that.
Last of Us LeAnn Hencher/HBO Most are cast in such familiar yet effective ways. spotlight your relationship with It’s hard to imagine each of the two obvious choices for playing them. Nick OffermanWhen Murray Bartlett But it’s also hard to imagine two actors who could do it better to make Bill and Frank feel fully alive, sympathetic and lovable. is a (admittedly very) early frontrunner for the best TV installments of 2023.Melanie Lynskey
She appeared for a while as the leader of a heavily armed militia, a ruthless woman with the demeanor of a disappointed third-grade teacher.
yellow jacket All the casting, including Anna Torv as Joel’s partner Tess, serves as a convenient shorthand for each character so you can get to the emotional crux of things. This episode is 76 minutes long and usually shows something slow and selfish. Instead, it works precisely for how much time you can spend with Bill and Frank, earning you every minute of those. And, perhaps to make up for it, the next is only 46 minutes. None of the episodes feel welcome, regardless of their individual length.I didn’t say that
Last of Us Aiming for high art.It’s inherently smarter and much better executed the walking dead
with higher production value , and a small and strong cast. (I’ve never had a problem with Andrew Lincoln, but the upgrade from him to Pedro Pascal in stories like that can’t be overstated. Fungus growing all over or part of it, very vulgar and very scary.
walking dead It would have had to stay in such a place for at least half a season to justify the cost of building the set. Here the character spends about 10 minutes there before moving. But the character work quickly becomes very strong, with long stretches without being infectious, and the series doesn’t feel like it’s lacking in dramatic tension or memorable incidents. There is at least one action sequence that surprised me with its arrival. Because the conflict between the various human characters involved was thoroughly established in that episode. In that sense, it can sometimes resemble a post-apocalyptic story, especially in standalone episodes like Bill and Frank’s story, or flashbacks to Ellie and her best friend Riley exploring her shopping mall. is a great production from HBO Max.
station eleven .
Trend Ellie learned a lot about her past from a school run by military remnants, but she still enjoys Joel explaining things to her. In one episode, he enforces soccer rules. “So basically it’s just moving in one direction,” she asks. He agrees, “basically, but violent.” This is a metaphor for something The Last of Us as a whole. What I’m trying to do is very easy and simple, but I’m having a hard time with it. I haven’t played the game, but Druckmann and Mazin turned it into something that works incredibly well as a TV show. The Last of Us premieres on HBO on January 15th, with episodes released weekly. Watched all 9 episodes of the first season.